If you trellis, place your plants on the side that the wind comes from so that they will 'blow' into the trellis. It helps until they have established themselves. Plant a seed every 8" to a foot (so that's between 10 and 20 seeds)...you can always thin them if you see it's going to be too much. Just cut the vine at the base and don't worry about pulling it off the trellis...the others will cover fine. I plant cukes thick though...they seem to do just fine a bit crowded. If you use hills...make 3 or 4 and plant 4 or 5 seeds per hill. If the vines start creeping out of bounds, just pick them up and turn them back into the bed. I've planted cukes in hills and in regular rows and as long as the soil has warmed well, I've seen no difference in my plants or production. It's mainly for warming the soil and keeping their roots from being soggy in very wet weather...so, if you've got a warm, well drained spot...do whichever you like as far as hills go.

I have noticed that production is better in untrellised cukes. Bees pollinate the flowers, and most male flowers are nearer the base of the vine. When they're all on the ground, the bees find male and female flowers at about the same rate as the vines twine around and over each other. Depends on just how many cukes your family will eat...you'll get a bunch with that many plants either way you go.

Hi Mel...thanks so much!
If I use a trellis, would I make it so it stretched across the entire 10 feet? And how high should I go?
And placing them 8"-1' apart, I would be making just one row? And the seeds would be placed against the trellis or on the other side of the 4' section?

If I use mounds/hills, how high do I make them? And are they placed in the center of the 4' section?

I think that will do it!
Have a great day!

Take time to 'moil in the soil' but make time to 'frolic in the fecue'...

Make your trellis about as long as your bed...maybe leave a foot or so on each end. I've had good luck with fencing wire with 6" holes...string and net tend to collapse under the weight of vines, fruit, heavy rains and wind...and you can reuse it for years. I get the 4' fence and stake it about 6" to 8" off the ground. You'll have to get a small roll of the stuff and cut it if you decide to go this route. I have a very large garden and can stretch 100' lengths down mine if I need to, but generally, I just let them sprawl. Put it in place before you plant your cukes, planting them somewhere in the 1' range from your fence or trellis. This gets the plants to a size that they will have twining tendrils...keep turning the vines in the direction of the fence and loop the ends through the holes as they get long enough...it may take a bit to 'train' them, but sooner or later they will get the idea.

Plant the seeds about the same distance from the fence...if you use hills, just put the mounds in a line about a foot away and make them somewhere about 8" high...(I've never measured) and turn the little vines toward the fence...some will have to grow a bit further to reach it, but if you keep everything in the same plane, you're not going to worry about stepping on the base of your vines if you have to step inside the plants.

If you put your trellis in the middle of the bed, you've got room for them to spread...just in case they really take off...you also have room for a border of something like carrots, lettuce or marigolds in the front.